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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. last — final
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. last — to go on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. last — finally
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com